Barcelona threw away a two-goal lead and were held to a draw by battling Sevilla in La Liga.

Substitute Kevin Gameiro’s goal six minutes from time capped a fine comeback from the home side.

Lionel Messi put the league leaders ahead with a superb curled goal, with Neymar doubling the lead from a free-kick.

Ever Banega then pulled one back and Gameiro’s equaliser means Barca are only two points ahead of Real Madrid.

Real had moved to within a point of Barca with their comfortable 3-0 win over Eibar earlier in the day.

Sevilla’s spirited fightback did not look likely during an opening 30 minutes where Barca, chasing the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble, were close to their best.

Messi struck when Sevilla defender Benoit Tremoulinas allowed the Argentine too much space, cutting back onto his left foot before bending his shot just inside the post for his 34th goal of the season.

Neymar doubled the lead with a near-perfect free-kick that curled over the wall into the top corner and beyond static goalkeeper Rico Gonzalez. Barca’s Brazilian forward has ended a run of seven La Liga games without a goal.

Banega’s firm shot from outside the area reduced the arrears when Barca keeper Claudio Bravo pushed the Argentine midfielder’s effort onto the post and into the bottom corner.

Sevilla were determined to preserve their unbeaten record this season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium and they kept pressing for an equaliser after the break.

Carlos Arturo Bacca, top scorer for his club, wasted a good chance to draw level by shooting over the bar, but Barca’s Luis Suarez did likewise and also badly mis-hit another chance to increase his side’s lead.

The open nature of the game continued and Sevilla were level when Gameiro, who had replaced Bacca, was free at the far post to convert Aleix Vidal’s pinpoint low cross to salvage a fully deserved point for his fifth-placed side.

Barca had looked good value for what would have been a 10th win in a row in all competitions

Ever Banega’s goal was just his second since joining Sevilla from Valencia last August

Kevin Gameiro had been on the pitch for around 10 minutes when he struck to help preserve Sevilla’s unbeaten home record